PICS: JANA ASENBRENNEROVA Earlier stereotyped only as tea pickers, women like Kalpana Rai ( pictured above) are rising up the ranks in Nepal's tea industry.

Kalpana Rai prepares tea cups for tasting at the Jun Chiyabari Tea Estate in Hile. Outside, the mist rolls up hillsides draped with lush tea gardens. The steam rises as Rai pours hot water into a cup, takes a sip, and smiles. "I like this one," Rai tells her boss. Supervisor Morris Orchard nods in agreement as he rolls the brew around in his mouth.

Earlier stereotyped only as tea-pickers, women like Kalpana Rai are rising up the ranks in Nepal's tea industry. Jun Chiyabari and other tea estates in eastern Nepal are at the forefront of those offering new opportunities for women.

"We went one step ahead and appointed women workers into supervisory levels, not only in the field but also at the factory," explains Lochan Gyawali whose family started Jun Chiyabari 10 year ago. The tea factory now has several women in supervisory roles.

Kalpana Rai is modest young woman, and an undergraduate in business management. She shrugs off the attention. "There aren't many options for us in Hile," she says, "I feel I'm lucky."

But it's more than luck that has allowed women to get ahead, says Archana Karki of Empowering Women of Nepal (EWN). "Nepal is still a conservative patriarchal society," Karki explains, "there are many rules that constrain women to stay in the home and work in the family house and fields."

Rai, who studied at Mahendra Multiple Campus in Dharan, works as the company's record keeper while studying for her masters degree. Rai's colleagues express the same optimism about their jobs, how it has meant they haven't had to migrate for work to support their families.

"I enjoy my job and the people I work with here," says Renuka Thakuri, 40, who supervises the tea sorting section of the factory and has been with Jun Chiyabari since it started.

Nearly 80 per cent of the 236-strong work force at Jun Chiyabari is made up of women. A dozen women in scarves sit together on a wooden floor in a circle, examining leaves that are just about ready for packaging. Some laugh, others chat while working. They are sifting through thousands of leaves to find and remove any that are damaged or flawed. The process needs deft fingers and concentration.

Jun Chiyabari's owners say they consider women critical to the operations, and have equalised earnings for men and women. Says Gyawali: "Just because you have XY chromosome doesn't mean you should have a different wage level."

By sunset, the leaves collected by the women are delivered to the factory's attic and spread out on drying plates to sit overnight and develop a rich aroma. The finished tea is packaged and sent to customers around the world as organic Himalayan tea, plucked and perfected by the women of Nepal.

www.junchiabari.com

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